Dodge - Dakota - Transmissions :: Not Shifting Out Of First Gear Correctly

I have a 2002 Dodge Dakota with 130,000 miles on it, 360 engine, automatic transmission, and I am the original owner. About three months ago it started not shifting out of first gear correctly. I can bring the speed up to 30 mph and let up on the accelerator and then it will shift up. Once it is going it shifts back and forth in the upper gears and I can override the overdrive just fine. I have towed a trailer during this time and the transmission is as strong as before. I have the oil and filter changed as per the owners manual. Years ago the owner of our local dealer and I had a dispute over the warranty on the front brakes locking up and he asked me not to darken his door ever again so I have obliged him and would rather not change this arrangement. The shop I have used for years cannot find any problem and no codes show up on the computer.

View 3 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 1991 - Slight Lack Of Acceleration

I have a 1991 DODGE Dakota V6 3.9L FI with a TorqueFlite TF-6 A-500 4 speed RWD Automatic Transmission. Now, this truck is amazing and so is this transmission. It's been going for 22 years and about 400,000 miles and the bands in the tranny have never been replaced...EVER. The fluid filter has been replaced, once. Anyway...it's amazing, I mean the thing is still going strong after all this time and such low maintenance.

Anyway, I noticed a slight lack of acceleration, so as usual for an old automatic, I figured the bands might be slipping a bit. So I dug up the torque specs for it and performed the adjustments. Now, this is the funny part and I was not at all surprised to discover this. In fact, I'd had the hunch the entire time. I discovered that the bands are so old that they no longer respond properly to the recommended torque specs, so I had to guess work them. I did a bit of careful fiddling as I know just about everything there is to know about automatics and I understand perfectly the damage that can be caused when under/overtightening bands.

Anyway, I did some fiddling and got some interesting results that actually made me laugh to be honest, but I knew at first I wasn't quite doing it right. First gear was all right, but second kicked in a little late, and I felt a slip when third came around. So, I decided it was time for a moment of truth. What I ultimately ended up doing was tightening the bands to the recommended torque (in this case 72 inch lbs) and then slowly backing them off until I felt them let go, Then I put the proper torque on the locknuts (in this case 30 ft lbs).

Now, this tranny has two bands and a clutch pack, it has the low-reverse (rear) band, and the Kickdown(forward) band, and I believe the clutch pack is used to engage 3rd gear, because the rear band gives you 1st and rev, and the kickdown band gives you 2nd. After my ultimate adjustments, the kickdown band DID drag just a little for about a minute, but she quickly worked herself into a state where she's shifting better and accelerating better than she ever has before.

I'm amazed by this thing. I'm wondering if the kickdown band lets off when you hit 3rd gear? I know that when I feel the first kick, it's the KD band grabbing the front drum, which gives me second, but I'm wondering if it pulls simultaneously as third gear kicks in, or whether it stays tight against the drum?

View 19 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 1991 - Getting Error Air Switch Solenoid Circuit?

I am getting a code 36 which tells me it is "air switch solenoid switch". I am not sure what that is indicating or what it means. Is this something I can fix?

View 5 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 2002 - Sloppy Shifting / Heavy Thump Changing Gears When Slowing

Last year, July, replaced Trans.modulator..All went well. Now..sloppy shifting, occasion heavy thump changing gears when slowing. Trans. people say All good according to their programs.....but they also feel the same problems. Its an internal problem, they say, too expensive to tear down.Drive it until it dies. ( 161 K on the odometer.....otherwise is perfect. I want to do a flush, then drop the pan, change the screens, tighten the bands and replace Trans. fluid.

View 1 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 2006 - Gear Shift Moves But V8 Won't Drive

This morning my 2006 Dodge Dakota v8 auto decided to become a large paperweight. I started it up fine and let it warm up a bit (about five-ten minutes), then shifted into reverse to leave my driveway and it won't move. It just rev's and rev's like it's in neutral. I tried Reverse, Drive, and both low gears, but no luck.

Since it got very cold, it has been making a buzzing/whirring sound that seems to be coming from the belts. But that sounds would go away when the car warmed up. I thought I needed a new power steering belt (and still may), but that wouldn't keep the car from moving at all, right?

View 19 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 1996 - Truck Will Backfire And Then Shut Off

so my 96 dodge dakota has been acting up a lot lately. I can barely drive in town let alone on the highway. when I drive, keep in mind its random most of the time, my truck will start jumping and then lose power. when I try to power thru it my truck will backfire and then shut off. once I try to start again it floods the engine. most of the time it will do this going up a hill or when it has to get above 3000 rpm. I don't know what's causing it. I replaced the throttle body fuel injection sensor and tranny filter but I figure its a fuel problem.

View 9 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 1988 - Stumbles At WOT / Truck Only Idles

I have an '88 Dakota, 230K miles, with the following problem:For the last month or so, the truck has been hard to start--had to crank once, wait 10 seconds or so, then crank again. Gradually, this problem increased to the point where it would stumble at WOT, then even at 3/4 throttle or so.Thinking it was the fuel pump, I replaced it, along with the filter.

Problem remains; in fact, it seems even worse, to the point where the truck only idles (can't put any load on it, or it stumbles). So, at this point I suspect the fuel pressure regulator. However, I don't want to buy it unnecessarily. Given that a F.P.R. is designed to send a part of the pump output back, would pinching off part/all of the return line be a valid diagnostic test?Anything else that comes to mind?

View 1 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 2003 - Acts Like Going To Stall Out When Turn The Wheel In Reverse

When the truck is in reverse, turn the wheel, it acts like is about to stall out. Sometimes just idling the engine at a stop and turn the wheel it acts likes its going to stall out.

View 4 Replies

Saturn - Transmissions :: 2003 Car Only Goes In Reverse Even When In Drive Or Neutral

Have a 2003 Saturn Vue with a variable transmission (rebuilt). It will only go in reverse even when in drive, or natural.

View 5 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: Truck Goes Dead When In Neutral But Will Stay On In Gear

Yesterday my truck would stay on if I had the gas on, or if I put it in gear and drove but when it was in neutral it would shut off. And then after driving it for a few minutes it completely shut down. It is a manual transmission.

View 4 Replies

Dodge - Transmissions - Grandcaravan :: Shifts Just Fine Going Forward But Will Not Move In Reverse

I am considering buying a 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan with a reported transmission problem. Mileage is around 120k, and the price MIGHT be reasonable even if a trans rebuild would be necessary. I have not seen the vehicle yet, so I'm not yet committed to anything.

Seller claims the car shifts just fine going forward but will not move in reverse. Is this immediately clear that rebuild is going to be necessary? Are there less invasive repairs possible such as valves or controls or other parts which might solve this problem?

I suppose a Caravan transmission at 120,000miles is probably nearing the end of its lifetime, at least that was true of older ones. But like I said, the price is low enough that the cost of a rebuild might be justifiable if all else about the vehicle looks good. I want to have a better sense of the prospects before I invest time in going to look at this...it's about 50 miles away. I have a local transmission shop that I trust and which has reasonable prices

View 17 Replies

Stalling - Dodge - Dakota :: 1997 V8 Stalls While Idling In Drive, But Not Neutral Or Park

I have a 1997 Dodge Dakota V8 (automatic) with about 140k and live in Vermont. Recently, my truck will konk out while I am sitting at a red light. As I'm sitting there, the RPM's keep going down below 700, until finally stalling out completely. When I shift into Park/Neutral then turn ignition, it will start right back up again. To get around this, I have been shifting into Neutral while I wait at the light, then back into Drive when it turns green. I have recently installed a new battery and exhaust system. I am wondering if this is occurring because of worn plugs, a dirty air filter, cracked vacuum hose, or bad alternator?

View 2 Replies

Subaru - Outback - Transmissions :: Car Won't Move In Drive, Reverse Or Neutral

When I started my car and put it in reverse, it didn't move. It felt like my front, right wheel was in a divet or was being blocked somehow (intuitively it seemed like if I accelerated enough, it would eventually move, but since there was nothing physically stopping it - that I could see - I didn't want to break something by doing that). I tried putting it in drive and neutral and the same issue was still there. I put the car up on a jack and checked one wheel at a time - I could move each wheel completely around in both directions.

I could move the steering wheel all the way to the right and to the left. I tried turning off the 4-wheel drive and that didn't do anything. At this point I'm concerned it could be the transmission or the drive shaft, but I'm not sure what to look for in order to know if I need to get it towed to a shop (hoping I can avoid this) or if there's a simple test I can do, or a way to "reset" something if it may be locked. I haven't had anything happen to the car that would have been of concern.

View 2 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: Chirping Noise Upon Acceleration From Stop Coming From Under Truck Bed

I have an 87 longbed Dakota that I bought new. It's my work truck. Lately it has developed a chirping noise that I hear best with the rear slider window open. I think it is safe to say that it is not coming from under the hood. When I accelerate from a stop the chirping noise increases in pitch and frequency. The frequency does not change when the auto trans up shifts. There has been no noticeable out-of-the-ordinary vibrations, even at freeway speeds.

I have stopped driving on the freeway since the chirping became impossible to ignore. The chirping becomes less and less audible the faster I go as the pitch and frequency increases. When just starting from a dead stop, it sounds like a metallic scraping noise. Whenever I take my foot off the gas the chirping stops, even when still coasting, so it only occurs under load. It does not occur when the truck is stopped and the engine is revved.

View 9 Replies

Ford - Explorer - Transmissions :: 1995 - Slow To Shift From Reverse To Drive?

My car is taking a long time shifting from reverse to drive in the morning. Do you know what may be causing it and how to fix it. It's a 1995 automatic ford explorer.

View 3 Replies

Dodge - Dakota :: 2000 Truck Rocks When Moving Forward And Transmission Slipping

I have a 2000 dakota in the morning after the first start, moving foward the truck rocks and feels like trans. slipping. After 5 mins, just fine. Change the Trans. Ffilter?

View 1 Replies

Dodge - Dakota - Radiators :: Truck Started Running Hot / Foam Coming Out Of The Overflow

we had a shop replace a thermostat in oct 10, last week our truck started running hot so we put in about 3 qt of 50/50 coolant. it returned to normal temp the next day we noticed some foam coming out of the overflow. when we opened the hood it looked like a brownish/red color and is a thick foam. When taking it back to the garage they cannot tell what it is. They have tried to flush it out and say they put in 3qt of fluid and only get out 1qt. It can be chunky at times. What it could be?

View 1 Replies

Volvo - 240 :: 1991 Station Wagon Will Reverse But Stalls In Drive / Neutral

This is a 1991 Volvo 240 Automatic Station Wagon. The Check Engine Light has been on for at least 6 months, the timing belt was replaced 3 months ago , the battery is a month old, the oil was just changed, gas tank just filled and the odometer stopped at 259,000 miles before I bought it so it has well over 300,000. Yesterday morning it took a minute to start, which happens on occasion, but backed out and drove about a mile and stalled at a stop light. It finally started, after 6 false starts, and I turned around to go back home. It then stalled again but reversed just fine, so I got it turned around and drove in reverse the rest of the way home. It drove fine after a few hours but did the same thing today.

View 13 Replies

Nissan - Sentra :: Changing Gears From Reverse To Drive

My wife always chastises me for not coming to a complete stop from backing up before I shift the car into drive. I do not shift when the car is still moving more than 1-2 MPH, in fact it is barely moving when I change gears. My wife insists that I come to a complete stop and wait 1-2 seconds before shifting from reverse to drive. She is convinced that I am doing damage to the transmission the way I shift. I insist that no damage is being done and point out that with over 100,000 miles there have been no transmission problems with the car. Am I damaging the transmission by shifting before I come to a complete stop in reverse?

View 9 Replies